'With the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century AD, Europe entered a new and tumultuous phase. Many of the old Greek and Roman medical texts were misplaced or destroyed and medical education in Europe progressed little. But elsewhere Arabic scholars kept the Greek and Roman writings alive and wrote new material to supplement them.'

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/775187_4

Well put. And I even partly share your point. I've just intended to emphasize that the real picture of interaction between medieval Westerners, Byzantines, Arabs and so called "Mosarabs" (partly assimilated by Arabs autochthonal population of Near East, Spain and Northern Africa) was much more complicated than simple "saving by Arabs the old European culture".